In commonly accepted techniques, this kind of washing apparatus includes any type of washing container such as shower type, cascade type, overflow type, static type, etc., and employs pure water of 10, 15, or other megohm to wash semiconductor materials. For example, a cascade system includes a plurality of washing containers set in a row in order to wash a predetermined number of semiconductor materials such as silicon wafers, glass masks or the like held in a carrier. In such a cascade system, semiconductor materials in a carrier are firstly dipped in an end downstream washing container including lowly pure water and then moved successively into next upstream washing container including comparatively highly pure water, finally into the most upstream washing container in which the semiconductor materials are washed with pure water of the highest purity, and leave the washing process so as to get the next process. In this system, new pure water is introduced into the final washing container for carrying out a final washing. However, the pure water contained in the final washing container includes even a very small quantity of chemical agents or foreign substances resulted from the final washing, so that said pure water can not be maintained at the same purity as new pure water. Also, in case of a shower container type, it includes one washing container in which pure water is poured in and out repeatedly in several times for washing semiconductor materials. Accordingly, the final washing is performed with highly pure water, but it is apparent that even this highly pure water is not of the same purity as the new pure water.
Thus, in a washing process of such prior art washing apparatus, washed semiconductor materials may be attached with any chemical agents or foreign substances, so that these washed semiconductor materials will lower the productivity. In other words, even a very small quantity of chemical agents or foreign substances attached to semiconductor materials permeates into these semiconductor materials and thus results in any noises and lowered electric characteristics.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved washing apparatus in which any chemical agents and foreign substances are not attached to the washed semiconductor materials after the final washing.
To attain the above described object, an apparatus for washing semiconductor materials according to the present invention is characterized by provision of one or a plurality of shower devices mounted above the washing container provided in said apparatus, to thereby wash semiconcuctor materials, when wet, held in a carrier by said shower device or devices with new pure water when the semiconductor materials are being lifted up.